Organics: A Growing Issue

This issue we thought we should begin to open some discussion on growing produce and gardens organically. We want to enlighten you on organic certification, organic branding and simple back yard organic gardening and a little knowledge on eco footprints.

Organic certification

Organic certification is governed by an international body, The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and also by local governments who register with this international body. In Canada organic certification falls under the Department of Justice which follows the international certifying body and adds additional regulations to IFOAM’s mandates.
The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) defines organic agriculture as:
Organic agriculture is a production system that sustains the health of soils, ecosystems and people. It relies on ecological processes, biodiversity and cycles adapted to local conditions, rather than the use of inputs with adverse effects. Organic agriculture combines tradition, innovation and science to benefit the shared environment and promote fair relationships and a good quality of life for all involved.

Organic agriculture is based on agricultural management practices that

• Create ecosystems capable of ensuring sustained productivity
• Maintain soil fertility by maximizing biological soil activity
• Control weeds, pests, and diseases by
o encouraging a balanced host¬-predator relationship
o increasing beneficial insect populations
o using biological and crop controls
• Recycle plant and animal wastes
• Use crop selection and rotation

The Canadian body adds additional regulations about which chemicals must not be used and for how long. We are not going to lay each regulation out, as certification is not our main issue here but if you are interested in pursing this or are interested in knowing more check out, http://laws.justice.gc.ca and do a search under organic products. But before we leave certification we need to look at who needs certification.

Organic Branding

There are two reasons for being certified in Canada. The first is because the grower or producer wants to use the brand for selling their product. Retail stores are more likely to require certification for organic items to be stocked at their stores. The second is if the products which are grown organically are to be sold outside the boundaries of, in our case, Ontario. But there are many local organic growers who are not certified and produce quality products. Cookstown Greens and Willow Creek Farm are two we mentioned last addition. John and Shelia Klinekink are another. The Klinekink’s warned us that there is some cheating going on with organic growing because it is not regulated but the non-regulation is just fine with this anarchist and the buyer should know their grower. Purchasing however, is not what we want to encourage here, we want you to put your hand to growing your own organics.

Home Grown Organics

Back yard organics is really quite easy, very satisfying and helps with the grocery bill. Following the IFOAM steps laid out above is a good way to get started. So find a spot where you can get some produce in the ground and where it will grow. Even if you have existing flower gardens popping tomatoes and basil amongst the flowers works, they are quite happy to share. Now put away the Miracle Grow and get some manure. We use composted horse manure from Peter Vanderpost but Zerhs has a good selection also. Encourage predator insects, such as Mantis and Ladybugs. Use 1-40 soap and water spray for pests or just pick them off your plants. Finally make sure you have a spot for composting to recycle your plant material back to the ground. Congratulations you are now an IFOAM organic grower! We know some of you will not be able to grow so maybe some advice in purchasing organics would be helpful.

To Buy or Not to Buy

As you can see from above there are a few questions about buying. We do encourage local buying and so you could send us an email and we will be happy to give direction. You should also be mindful that next weekend Willow Creek Farm will being selling their heirloom tomatoes seedlings at market and Cookstown Greens also sells seedlings. Please check out their websites for details. To further help you in your purchase we came up with a series of questions you could use:

1 Is my purchase sustainable?
2 Is the product Organic?
3 Is it GMO free?
4 What environmental footprint am I making with this purchase?
5 Am I promoting justice when I buy?

Here is an example of what we mean. A local grocery store has garlic for sale. There are two choices. One is organic and the other is not. Both are from China. Both are about one dollar for a bulb. When we ask ourselves the above questions we end up with some disturbing answers. How can we be promoting justice to the worker when the end product is only $1.00? How can the product arrive in Canada without a lot of fossil fuels being burned? There is no local product available because it is winter in Canada. So the final answer for us is no garlic in the recipes for now. This may not be your answer but we do want you to think about your purchase. Thanks for the read. We look forward to your comments.